A House of Serpents
by Drakoness
Summary: Slytherin. Most saw daggers in their scales and blood on their tongue. Marinette felt its softened silver and saw the offered rose in its mouth. A lukanette Slytherin love story. Hogwarts AU.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I don't own anything but plot. Sabrina is in Hufflepuff. Please let me know what you think.

_Chapter One_

_Slytherin's Head_

A fifth year Slytherin should have an impenetrable hide from insults by now, especially Slytherins lacking pureblood pedigree. But like the cold of the owlery's floor seeping into her robes it immersed itself beneath her skin. Tikki's smooth beak slid against her cheek emitting warbles that fluttered her chest feathers.

Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Unsavoury encounters occurred with each of them periodically. At the beginning of the year a first year Gryffindor refused her welcoming pumpkin pie when not a crumb of the Gryffindor-favourite remained in the Great Hall. Last month a Ravenclaw made no move to aid her struggles in producing a patronus. A lost Hufflepuff gaggle complimented that she was nice, for a Slytherin, when she directed them to Divination days ago.

Marinette had friends in each house. Alya her best friend was a Gryffindor, there was also Max from Ravenclaw and Myléne from Hufflepuff to name a few. Although it did not ease the embarrassment when she received slights about her Slytherin status when others were around. Ironically a fellow Slytherin broke the dragon's back today.

Chloé Bourgeois's mouth creased at her half-blood presence and despite Marinette not being a muggle born the uglier word for it gracelessly left the blond's mouth the same way Adrien's books fell on the grass on their way back from Care of Magical Creatures. Marinette immediately rushed to the Hufflepuff's side to calm the fanged book that nearly munched his hand. Quickly, she maneuvered it until its spine was exposed to be stroked.

"Wow Marinette how did you know stroking the spine would calm it down?" Adrien said fascinated. He tickled the fuzz behind multiple sleepy eyes. Happy gurgling ruffled the pages. "I think I'll introduce you to Plagg."

"Oh um… Professor Fu… h-he saw me struggling to close it during a-after one of the classes and showed me h-how to uh close it…" Marinette shyly replied.

"And you're only telling us this _now_?" Chloé spat. Sabrina waddled after her glasses askew and arms clamped tightly on both their monstrous books. "Do you know how many shoes I already lost to it? You even saw that thing grab one of my wedges and hide under the bed two weeks ago!"

"Professor Fu only showed me what to do this _Monday_ Chloé."

"And its Friday now which means you could have saved us the trouble for Wednesday and Thursday classes."

"It never came up –"

"Oh please! You probably just wanted to impress Adrikins. Your giant crush on him blinded you into doing anything for years." Marinette's throat seized. A ring of Hufflepuff and Slytherin formed around them. "Although your crush is utterly ridiculous. I mean as nice as he is, he's still a pureblood and you're just Mudblood Marinette."

"_Chlo__é__!" _Adrien barked.

Marinette dashed past black robes, a patronus deer caught amongst dementors. She detoured next period's Herbology with the Hufflepuffs to the owlery where rat scraps and Tikki waited with her until minutes for dinner remained. The Great Hall's extravagant platters seemed unappetising to Marinette even hours later in her owl-isolation.

"You have a beautiful owl."

Owls hooted indignantly as Marinette sprang up. Tikki vacated her owner's shoulder and perched on the arm offered to her by their new company.

The low voice belonged to a tall boy who was her senior. Black lining his eyes made them sit elegantly on the bones of his face and a jagged tipped-teal haircut crowned his head like a wolf's scruff. Peach and pink tones rolled across the easy smiling mouth where below, at his collar, a tie hung. Emerald slashed silver. Slytherin.

"Her name is T-Tikki and I'm Ma-Ma-Marinette." Merlin. She might as well be a baby dragon choking on its first flame.

"Hello T-Tikki," an affectionate pat smoothed Tikki's speckled head. Peachy pink slyly turned her way, "And hello Ma-Ma-Marinette."

Seeing her interest in the mangy owl pellets scattered on the stone he backtracked, "Sorry." Out of his robes he produced a crisp envelope with lips kissed scarlet by wax. "I came here to deliver -"

Tikki swiftly tucked it into her beak. They laughed at the overgrown pillow who fixed the boy with alert ambers.

"She l-likes you..." red heated her face. "She's normally too shy around strangers. Maman and papa sometimes have a hard time to get her to deliver anything for them."

The smile returned. Raising his arm, he brought Tikki up paralleling her moon face with his. "I'm honoured."

"She can d-deliver your letter!" Red spilled into wine. "If you w-want that is."

"Are you sure?" Marinette's glossed lip curved. He relayed the address to Tikki.

An ascending ghost in the dim owlery, Tikki vanished out the window and into the night's depths in one snowy swoop.

"Are you coming to the Great Hall?" he asked. "We can go down together if you like."

Establishing human contact no longer set her heart hopping into a dark burrow. That didn't mean she wanted to face a hoard of dementor-robed students alone. So…

"I would love to….?"

"Luka. Luka Couffaine."

The name sounded familiar.

000

Conversation brewed between them seasoned lightly with topics that poured or sprinkled itself in, bubbling giggles on Marinette's tongue. The Great Hall's cacophony, an ingredient that overpowered everything, spoiled the conversation. Before she knew it, she was shadowing Luka, arriving at the usual Slytherin banquet and sitting in front of a stuffed fowl slumbering on steamed vegetables. Slytherins around Luka's age surrounded her. No fifth years. Well, no fifth years _near_ her. Beyond the cauldron cakes arranged in tiers further down, a smug Chloé nibbled a chocolate drizzled strawberry.

The elder Slytherins, seventh years, were pleasant. They passed pixie pastries not within her fingers' reach and initiated small talk about their preferred Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans flavour. Luka contributed little. Amused, he chewed chicken while they bartered (argued) over chocolate frog trading cards. Marinette eventually realised that no she would not garner a super rare card for her papa's collection because of a stubborn seventh year asking for _two_ rare ones in return.

Good naturedly she bid them an early good night. She stuttered her gratitude to Luka then scurried to the dungeons.

000

An omelette… some toast… orange juice… her stomach growled.

She overslept. Lying on a desk where a bright ray kept searing her eyelid made a poor place to rest her head but Marinette simply couldn't care. Skipping breakfast was a good idea when she realised that she had to finish the forgotten Charms homework due after it. Now, ten minutes before Charms, her ogre-grumbling stomach complained in the student-less classroom.

There was a thump – a hand landed by her nose. "Girl you better tell me what happened at dinner yesterday."

Alya.

"Are you in trouble?" Squinting through sunlit dust motes adhering her vision she saw a concern moulded expression.

Dread extended its devil snare trendils creeping and choking the ogre in her belly. "It feels that way."

"Don't worry! I'm sure we can clear up whatever happened, it _was _Chloé's fault –"

The name straightened her spine.

"Y-you heard about that?" Devil snare in her throat caught and tripped the words.

"Myléne and Rose told me at dinner." Hufflepuffs, right. Alya continued, "I'm sure Professor Damocles will understand when we explain everything." 

"Professor Damocles? Why would he be involved?" Squabbles in a classroom, hallway, common room and especially on the quidditch field happened all the time. Majority of them barely even required a teacher. Every school had its squabbles. No need for the headmaster to be involved.

"Marinette everyone saw you come in late to dinner with the _Head Boy _yesterday. And he normally doesn't get involved unless it's something serious." An octave dropped in her voice as she thought aloud, "It's even stranger he interacted with you inside the Great Hall of all places, don't they have a room for that? Or at least call in a professor? Then again he's not like the other prefects."

"Luka's Head Boy?" He didn't seem the type due to the reserved and laid-back persona. Although with those two concepts in mind a memory emerged….

_Creamy pearls oozed down the candles on either side of Professor Damocles. Old candles lit the new school year's announcements. Off a golden owl's back he read, " – and our Head Boy, Luka Couffaine!"_

Other than explosive potion mistakes and misplaced homework pages Marinette never needed to place much attention to Hogwart's law-enforcers.

"Alya I wasn't in trouble; Luka was just keeping me company after he found me with Tikki in the owlery." Confusion resolved she decided to ask what was bugging her since Alya arrived. Alya donned a flannel shirt, blue jeans and sneakers. Gryffindor themed robe missing. "Why are you not wearing your robes?"

"Marinette it's _Saturday_. We're going to Hogsmeade remember?"


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I do not own anything but the plot. I apologise for any grammar or spelling errors. **The next chapter will be late** as I will be going on a reptile fieldtrip from Tuesday to Friday. Please let me know if I'm keeping everyone in character or not. Lastly, thank you to those who supported this story through follows, favourites and reviews.

The Slytherins share the following classes with each house:

Hufflepuffs: Care for Magical Creatures & Herbology

Gryffindors: Transfiguration & Defence Against the Dark Arts

Ravenclaws: Potions & Charms

_Chapter 2_

_Sweet Beak_

September's days were numbered. Already Hogsmeade merchants discussed pumpkin products, preparing Halloween specials for October's arrival. Chilly winds haunted the town weeding leaves diagnosed with autumn's burning fever. The Three Broomsticks poured its customers warm butterbeer. Sometimes a stream strayed from its tankard and splashed the wooden tables with honied droplets. An aroma would be left behind adding flavour to the smoky scent curled around witches and wizards that created a din in every corner.

Cramped but cosy.

Marinette was reluctant to be under its roof. Hogwarts students frequented the crowds here. Students she would rather avoid after yesterday. Yet over her tankard's metal rim, she listened to quidditch strategy between the Gryffindor Chasers across from her.

"Yeah but we're all stuck on the Firebolt brand and that's been around since 1993, its practically a flying fossil," Alya lamented.

Nino side-hugged his girlfriend. "All that means is we just have to practice harder."

"Kagami and Adrien have the Solarstrike VI. Talent _and_ the top of the line broom? We can win against the Hufflepuffs since Adrien is their only star player but then after that we got Slytherin because they're going to wipe out Ravenclaw first and then us at this rate."

Like any top model racing broom the Solarstrike VI brooms had superior agility, however, its ability to take tight turns with that agility is what made it remarkable and a Seeker favourite. Snatching snitches in haphazard flight no longer needed luck.

"You're forgetting that Kagami and Adrien are _Chasers_. Solarstrikes mainly won games by Seekers."

"…. Most games are won by Seekers Nino."

"You shouldn't count yourselves out just yet," Marinette said her tankard clinking softly as she set it down. "We may be the toughest to beat but you have the best Seeker out of everyone."

During matches Alix became a phoenix streak pursuing quidditch gold. Her career as the Gryffindor Seeker launched in second year lesson where a bet, a race and a defeated Kim left a late-coming Sir Armand D'Argencourt impressed. Cancelling the lesson, he introduced Alix to the Gryffindor quidditch captain where praise and skill carried her to the present.

"See?" Nino nudged Alya's shoulder. "Our team has mad skills too."

"True," Alya rested her chin in her palm. "But that doesn't mean we should depend on Alix. _We_," Nino suffered a sidelong look, "along with Kim will be facing Adrien and if we win, Kagami. So, it's our responsibility to handle them."

"You know what _we_ need," Nino lifted his tankard, "more butterbeer!"

"Yeah you're right." Alya brightened. Empty tankards in hand the couple stood. Alya grasped Nino's wrist in the other, "We'll be right back."

Caramel liquid collected in a shallow pool in her own. Maybe she should join them?

Surprisingly they disappeared quickly. No witch or wizard resembled them. She scanned the crowd for a paired flannel and blue shirt, maybe she missed them.

To her horror a white jacketed Adrien Agreste dodged bustling wizards and apologised if he bumped into their path to get to _her table_.

Spluttering or escape is how interactions with Adrien ended. The second option sounded the least stressful. But normally a side corridor would be her means of escape. Solutions spewed from her brain ...none of them helpful. She couldn't use a _riddikulus _spell on Adrien.

Then realisation stunned her with two names.

Alya and Nino.

Convincing her to visit The Three Broomsticks this trip had been their doing. Five sickles betted the Hufflepuff sitting in their seat was planned.

"Hi Marinette." Stillness traced her body's outline. Tension. "I'm sorry for the intrusion. I asked Nino if he and Alya can set this up. Chloé crossed the line when she…"

"Itwasn'ttrue." Sounds barrelled into the other merging syllables not conveying coherent English. Her voice, the nervous little snitch flew past her teeth without consent. At a slower pace she reattempted the statement, "It wasn't true. What Chloé said… about my uh crush on you…"

"Oh." Seconds passed. Mortifying seconds in Marinette's opinion. Adrien was unphased. "The other thing she said…" annoyance hefted its weight on his eyebrows dropping them, dulling the green set beneath. He collected his thoughts. Green sprung spring. "I'm sorry for what happened."

"You shouldn't apologise you didn't do anything wrong." Demurely said but Adrien took the lack of stammering as a positive.

Nostalgia. Butterbeer-warm, sweet and caramel-gold. Zonko's latest party trick courtesy of Chloé armed her seat, thankfully she spotted it although she blamed Adrien. He approached her about the false accusation an apology akin to the one at present – claiming innocence, providing amendment for the ill will of Chloé.

" – that's okay with you?"

Marinette blinked. "Uh i-it is."

The question in the answer made him chuckle. "You missed Herbology yesterday. Professor Bustier assigned a paired-up project and we were picked to be partners. I hope that's okay?" Marinette numbly nodded. Was her luck good or bad? "We need to choose and raise a level five plant that will be presented towards the end of the school year."

"She wants us to grow a level five? Aren't those dangerous for us?" Magiherbologists ranked a plant's threat by level. Level one had dandekittens and numerous healing plants. Level seven were less lethal as level eight. However, level eight was a rare barely heard of breed.

"It's to prepare us for sixth year, we will be handling levels five and six only then. We also have to write up on safety precautions taken to grow it, where it grows, its uses and its weaknesses." He angled his attention sharply over her left shoulder. A stone pillar flashed familiar blue at its side. "Hey Nino!"

Sheepishly smiling the boy shuffled to their table, Alya in tow.

"Oh, hello Alya I didn't see you."

An untrained eye saw the Gryffindor politely return Adrien's acknowledgement. The 'I will kill you for blowing our cover Nino' that twitched her eye did not go unnoticed by Marinette. Or Nino.

"Are you going to stay dude?" Nino asked. "We can stock up on Honeydukes or get Plagg's favourite cheese at Zonko's." Adrien's black cat was… weird. Even by wizard standards. Zonko's manufactured an extremely stinky cheese to be used by pranksters as they wished. Plagg unfortunately (for Adrien) loved it as breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack. Only spells blossoming perfumed flowers prevented the garbage stench from dominating the Hufflepuff common room.

"I can't," his mood dampened, "I had to beg father to even let me out today. He's expecting me back soon. I should leave now, sorry Nino."

"It's alright man maybe next time." Nino's disapproval stunted his usual cheer but nonetheless he high fived his best friend.

Adrien looked at her, "Maybe we can meet up on Monday after classes for the assignment? Decide what we will grow? On Sundays I have to study." Marinette knew he studied Sundays and was free on Monday evenings after quidditch practice and eating at dinner. Divulging _how_ she knew that was unnecessary.

"S-sure."

"Great see you then!"

He waved and departed halo hair flowing out the the Inn.

"Sooo how did it go?" Alya quizzed excitedly. Operation Adrienette turned up pleasing results her ship was set for a smooth course in Monday waters.

When Marinette face-planted on the table she realised turbulent currents still needed to be navigated.

000

Stars in the joints of their skeleton sprayed across navy heavens, fair unicorn hair threads connecting them created their shimmering bodies. Zodiacs and constellations cantered, flew, walked and swam, enchanting the Great Hall's dinner and students. The tear shaped Pisces held the hypnotic movement of an expensive koi Marinette once saw in Diagon Alley's pet shop. She bit into her macaron feeling the soft presence of fairy powder the house elves baked into it. The house tables served macarons that Monday dinner's dessert. Sunday and today had blurred, uneventful and long. For Transfiguration Professor Sancoeur made her cast a troublesome spell repeatedly. Professor Sancoeur relented when Alya finally became a perfect fox, triangular ears to white-tipped tail, under her wand.

The Gryffindor inhabited the Slytherin table with her this dinner. Claiming 'Girl Emergencies' allowed her to forgo the rule where she had to dine at Gryffindor's table. Alya plotted how to make her sail smoothly for her scheduled meeting with Adrien. A cycle broke out:

Marinette would nibble a macaron and Alya pitched an idea. She would hear a step in the plan her confidence would certainly trip on. She would argue about it making Alya incensed to boost her weak-kneed yellow-bellied self. Macaron nibbling followed.

"Hey, isn't that your owl?" Alya said breaking the cycle.

Sharing the sky with the zodiacs Tikki glided like the origami birds a Japanese Ravenclaw crafted to practice for Charms. An envelope was clipped in her beak. When she eclipsed Polaris, she folded her wings and descended. However, her descent fell further down the Slytherin table. Away from Marinette.

Strange. On that end there was only…

Oh.

Marinette abandoned her third macaron and left Alya's question hanging in her wake. Passing a couple of sixth years she found her owl. Damp feathers, some curling at the ends, pressed down her back and skull. The envelope she had was in Luka's left hand, his right held a meaty chunk for Tikki, who sat in front of him refusing.

"She likes something sweet after delivering a letter," Marinette said. His head turned at her voice. Peachy pink smiled her way. "I-I give her chocolate chips."

Marinette slipped a hand in her robe's pocket that harboured chocolate chips for unexpected deliveries. Bare material brushed her fingertips. Frantically she pulled the pocket's inner material out hoping for a chocolate drop that escaped her.

Luka interrupted her from gutting her other pocket, "I think I have something she will like."

Out of his own pocket he revealed a pentagon box. Base colour royal blue, gold fancy font on its surface: _Honeyduke's Chocolate Frog_. Upon tearing the box's cardboard open the amphibian treat leaped, landing unluckily by Tikki's claws. Thick fluffy feet caged the chocolate in talons. Rattling the dishes around her Tikki took off skimming constellations to, Marinette assumed, the owlery.

"Thank you, that was…. that was very sweet."

"No problem, my mother is a hard person to reach so she deserved it." He studied the chocolate frog card that gifted each purchase. An image not narrowed by a portrait frame swallowed the whole pentagon. "Cool, I got Jagged Stone."

"You like Jagged Stone?" A legendary wizard musician Jagged Stone was notorious for, as he would proclaim, '_Rock 'n Roll!'_ attitude and style. A massive purple dragon, Fang, never left his side. The mini card Rockstar shredded his guitar on a flying Fang, inseparable even in the cards. Well, Jagged demanded Honeydukes that his card would be large enough to house Fang beside him. Jagged Stone was a super rare card. Multiple XY cards, another musician, came her way but her papa's collection required Jagged Stone. Lucky as Adrien's cat, the only time she'd seen one was in the clutches of that stubborn seventh year.

"He's my favourite singer." He saw her stare at Fang zooming upwards. A stare he'd seen Juleka wear when she was too shy to ask for what she wanted. "You can have it if you like."

He held the card out. She opened her mouth –

"I insist."

She took it, tentatively touching the gilded sides. Above Fang's ridged eyes Jagged Stone waved, "Nice to meet you love." Another feature the musician demanded. He wanted his card versions to talk, a task taking Honeydukes best witches to perform.

"I should get going, there's going to be a prefect meeting in a few minutes that I need to prepare for."

"Don't they need to eat?"

Blue stained mirth gazed at her, "Dinner's over Marinette."

Scarcely populated tables proved his point. The professors' table was empty.

"Ah! Alya!" She deserted her! And her macaron. But that wasn't important. She tucked the newly dubbed Pocket Jagged away. "Thank you, Luka. I like you – no I mean. I like it! As in the Chocolate Frog card! Jagged's card! Sorry, running late bye!" Robe swirling Marinette made a hasty exit, passing no sixth years this time.

A clean plate and a lonely seat was all she found.

000

"Okay girls," Alya said munching a macaron. She snatched the closest snack the moment she saw it. Alix, Juleka, Rose and Myléne curiously waited in a corridor located between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff common rooms. Wondering why an Operation Adrienette meeting popped up before the scheduled Herbology project meeting.

"There's a new statue driving our compass crazy. Our ship may steer off course."

000

As someone who can account for Adrien's whereabouts to every hour, Marinette was going beserk. She couldn't find him, not even in the library. After quidditch practice the Hufflepuff would clean himself and then dine to replenish lost energy. Searching the whole school was out of the question. Asking paintings to scout for her, also out of the question. Those splashes of oil colours loved to gossip and tease about her crush which they overheard from Alya… who told Nino unintentionally. The portraits were kind enough not to let the secret leave their painted lips so far. However, they were still prone to slip up.

Tired, Marinette came nose to wood with a stack of barrels outside the kitchens. The passage to the Hufflepuff common room. Waiting here was her best option.

"Are you looking for someone?"

Books clasped at her chest was Marinette's fellow fifth year Lila Rossi. Originally a Beauxbatons student she transferred this year. Once the first years cleared the stage after being Sorted, Lila sat thereafter for her own short ceremony. The Sorting Hat's wrinkled mouth then declared her a Hufflepuff. Marinette never interacted with her but she heard that like every Hufflepuff she was well liked by students and professors.

"Yes, I'm looking for Adrien we're working on – "

"Professor Bustier's plant project? Yes, I know I was there." Of course, Marinette forgot. Lila gestured to the barrels. "Why don't you go inside the common room? I'm sure you can wait inside for Adrien."

"It's against the rules to enter another house's common room Lila."

"Oh, I know, but I'm a Hufflepuff and I'm giving you permission." A thoughtful look entered her eyes. "Weren't there cases in the history of Hogwarts where a Gryffindor went inside the Slytherin and Ravenclaw common rooms? No, I'm sure it's fine! All you have to is tap…"

Tapping a unique rhythm on specific barrels was how Hufflepuff gained access to their common room. Interesting, she never knew that.

"I have to go now and study, enjoy!" She set off briskly not waiting for Marinette's gratitude.

Middle barrel of the bottom row. Tap tap. Two barrels in the second row, in the middle as well. Tap tap tap. A tap dance in the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff's name.

Nothing happened. Confusion filled Marinette to the brim.

Then -

Vinegar drenched her.

000

AN: I know I twisted the rules for portraits only being allowed to talk for the chocolate frog card, but I really wanted Pocket Jagged. Also, there will be a quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor in a future chapter.

Whose side are you on? Let me know.


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